Security helped us and ambushed through the media frenzy that was outside of the court. This was the most watched trial in California at the time because everyone knew how vicious Isaiah was. All of us barged through the crowd and to our cars. After Tyler got inside of her fathers car, her mom and dad sat there in a dazed form. By their silence, Tyler knew that they were furious.
"Tyler, what was that boy talking about in court?" Her father growled as he stared out of the window, watching the media frenzy circle out of the building.
Tyler didn't say anything. She sat in her seat, twiddling her thumbs.
"Oh my god.." Her mother whispered. "All of our family members know that you are a drug dealer......."
"I am not a drug dealer, mom!" Tyler barked.
"But you've sold drugs before haven't you?" Her father asked.
Tyler remained silent. Her father banged on the middle compartment, startling Tyler and her mother.
"Tyler, you better answer me!" He barked.
"I only sold some as a dare!" Tyler said out loud. "We were doing something to where we had to see who would last lo-"
Tyler's mother turned around and slapped her, watching Tyler turn hard to the side. As she clutched onto her face, her mother gave her a sharp and enraged look.
"Do you know that someone could've killed you over those drugs?!" Her mother yelled at her. "You could've died, Tyler!"
Tyler didn't say anything. She started to tear up in frustration as she looked out of the window, clenching her jaw.
"You're kissing your college dreams goodbye." Her father growled.
"That's not fair, dad!" Tyler shouted at him. "What does my education have to do with this!?"
"Since you're not appreciative of the money that many people your age would KILL to have, you won't go to college. You will WORK and you will no longer receive any handouts from me!" Her father snapped. "And after this trial, you will NEVER see any of those hoodlums you call "friends" in that court again! This is not a debate!"
Tyler glared angrily out of the window again, looking at her reflection as tears streamed down her face.
"I don't have any friends anyway...." Tyler mumbled.
The media frenzy within the next 24 hours were insane. It'd got so out of hand that a few of the people who were trying to get information from us winded up following us all the way to Schaefer to get some inside scoop on what happened inside of the courtroom that wasn't shown inside of the news. The next morning, I winded up having to get up at 5:30am just to go get my schoolwork and to go back to court. When I arrived back to the home around 6:30am, Aunt Shay was up getting ready. While she was getting dolled up, she handed me the home phone.
"It's your mother." Aunt Shay said.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. I was avoiding her calls to keep from hearing about the long talk about my grades. I took a deep breath, then placed my ear against the phone.
"Hello?" I groaned.
"I called your counselor, Joshua." My mother growled.
Shit. The truth was out. I slumped my shoulders, lying back into the couch and listening to my mother nag.
"So why did you lie to us and tell us that you had good grades when you didn't, Josh?" My mother continued.
"Well if I would've told y'all, y'all would've had a heart attack!" I growled.
"Of course we would've! We don't want you to fail, Josh!" My mother snapped. "Why haven't you been doing or putting any efforts into your assignments?"
"Because all he ever does is give me less than a C when all I do is haul ass on those assignments!" I barked. "What's the point of trying when I'm gonna get the same grades?"
"That's the point! You try HARDER." My mother said out loud. "You went from being at the top of your class in high school to just not giving a damn about your future!"
I was so sick and tired of hearing about my grades that I didn't even put up a fight anymore. I leaned back into my couch, listening to my mother take a frustrated breath.
"Your aunt told me about Isaiah. I've seen it all over the news." My mother said in a calmer tone. "I always knew that something was wrong with that boy...."
"Nothing is wrong with him, mama." I said in an offensive tone. "They tryna frame him for something he ain't do..."
"He has multiple arrests and he's only 18 years old, Josh." My mother continued. "You don't think that I know about what's going on? Me and your aunt talk almost everyday."
I didn't say anything. I was just ready to get off of the phone. That is, until my mother let off another bombshell.
"Your aunt told me that she wants you to move back to Washington and I think I'm going to agree with that." My mother said.
"WHAT?!" I gasped in a shocked tone. "Why?"
"Because she suspects Isaiah of doing some of the crimes that the witnesses on the stands described on the stand. Not only that but your grades aren't good and Schaefer is dangerous." My mother continued. "Wouldn't you just rather come here and work?"
That was it. I was getting off the phone before everything got out of hand.
"I'm gonna call you back later, ma." I sighed. "I gotta go to court."
When I first moved to Schaefer, I was ready to go home. I didn't ever think I could adjust to the constant gunshots or the loud little kids who all had the same mother but different fathers. But since I've been here for so long, it felt like home. I'd adjusted to the danger since I was cool with the most dangerous men in Schaefer.
Maybe going home wasn't such a bad idea......
Today was day 4 of the trial. Me and Aunt Shay got there almost an hour earlier to avoid the media frenzy outside. While waiting, we both decided that we were going to get some breakfast so that we could be nice and awake during the trial. An hour later, it was time. Everyone made it inside of the courtroom and allowed the limited camera men inside before closing the doors to the room. After everyone got seated and Noah stood up, it was right back to what he was doing. Right back to aiming at the witnesses heads. He spent the first hour and a half discussing the inconsistencies in the police work through Detective Fosters and Detective Sayers arrest warrants. After that, he got right back to tearing their witnesses apart.
"Now we're all here because someone called and discussed how Isaiah kidnapped them and another victim, right? Well we're going to get down to the bottom of that." Noah nodded as he looked at Randy. "Randy, can you come up to the stand?"
This was another moment that we were waiting on. Me, Aunt Shay, Carlos, and the others leaned forward in our chairs and grinned, waiting for Noah to take him out. Noah took a sip of his water, then smiled at Randy after he got done swearing on oath.
"Now Randy, you were the one who called and reported that Isaiah kidnapped you and Tyler, right?"
"Right." Randy nodded.
"And a few days before, you said that Isaiah called you up twice?" Noah nodded. "One call to ask you for money, and one call to set Tyler up?"
"Yes."
Noah clicked a button on the remote and watched the projection screen level down onto the courtroom. When the lights were dimmed, Noah brought up both Isaiah and Noah's phone records.
"If Isaiah called you, why isn't his number up on your incoming calls and why isn't your number in his outgoing calls?" Noah asked.
Randy was stumped. Jackpot. Isaiah smiled at him as he paused for a while, then sat back up.
"I called him from my home phone." Randy lied again.
"And what's your home phone number, Randy?" Noah asked as he pulled out his phone to call it.
Randy was stumped again. He rubbed his forehead, then squinted his eyes.
"I forgot which phone I called from-"
"Very funny, Randy! Because when the detectives called you up here to discuss your testimony, you were pretty sure that it was your cell phone." Noah scoffed. "Are you gonna continue to lie under oath?"
"I'm not lying, I'm trying to remember-"
"Then why did you say that you called Isaiah from your home AND cell phone if you aren't sure?" Noah continued, not letting off of him.
"I don't know...."
"Randy, we are wagering whether or not a man goes to jail for 50 years or not." Noah said as he gave him an angry look and snapped at him. "THINK."
Noah could tell that Randy was getting pissed. That's exactly what Noah wanted. Gang members hated being snapped at, so Noah was getting under his skin.
"There's no need to snap at me, sir." Randy growled.
"If you're telling the truth, there's no need to get upset." Noah smiled as he snapped again.
Randy was getting enraged. But Noah didn't care. He was fearless.
Best of all, he wasn't done yet.
"Now in your original story Randy, you said that Isaiah had you bound for 6 days, right?"
"Yes." Randy snarled.
"If that's the case, why were there bruisings around his wrists but no bruisings around yours?" Noah scoffed. "Especially since you were down there for 6 days?"
"I wasn't down there for 6 days." Randy snarled. "I said that HE stayed down there for 6 days so that Tyler wouldn't suspect him of wanting to kill her."
"So if he wanted you to bound him and keep him in the basement, why didn't you just escape when you had the chance?" Noah said. "After all, you had 6 days to do it."
"I don't snitch, sir."
"You don't snitch? YOU DON'T SNITCH?" Noah laughed. "Then, why is my client and brother sitting in this seat right now? Didn't you call the police on him?"
Randy clenched his jaw again, giving Noah a vile look.
"Yes."
"Right." Noah nodded. "Oh and by the way, I said NOTHING about going to the police. I asked why didn't you escape?"
"Because I was afraid that he would catch up to me anyway!"
"If Isaiah is bound and you're the one with the gun, why not shoot him and rack up the "self defense" charge?" Noah scoffed. "Why stay in the house with him for 6 days while you're free and able to do what you want?"
"I don't know...." Randy lied again. "I was scared..."
"Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, the police have charged Isaiah on a bunch of "I don't knows", inconsistent records, no solid evidence, and NO solid eyewitness accounts that had anything to do with this case." Noah said as he faced to jurors. "What type of detectives that have been in the force for 10+ years considers this a case? It's almost like a "he say, she say" story."
Noah shook his head, chuckling in disappointment as he turned back to Randy.
"You may take a seat, Randy."
While we were all sitting behind, Asha grinned and started fanning herself.
"Geez." Asha said, shaking her head and giving off a lustful look at Noah. "He's so hot when he's aggressive."
"Keep yo' legs closed, Asha." Stacey scoffed. "A lot of niggas done been up in you."
As Carlos and Q started laughing under their breaths, Asha never found their jokes about her prostituting funny. She only did it to make extra money and to pay her bills just like they did with drugs, so degrading her for something she felt was easy money always made her feel like less of a woman.
And for the next 2 hours, Noah did an excellent job breaking down how vacant the evidence was. He did such a splendid job that after we all left, a majority of the media rushed up to him and placed the microphone up to him. Noah looked like an A-Lister stepping out in his sharp suit and briefcase. When security closed off to the gates of the parking lot, Asha seen Noah walking off to his car. She smiled a little and walked up to him, smiling at him.
"You did a great job in there." Asha smiled.
"Thanks." Noah nodded as he opened his door. "I do my best."
As Noah was preparing to get in his car, Asha looked away then looked back at him.
"Hey um, if you're not busy, I was wondering if you wanted to go out on a date when this all blows over?" Asha asked.
Noah knew that she was a prostitute, so he wasn't anywhere near close to being interested in her. He squinted his eyes at her a little, then got inside of his car.
"No thanks." Noah said as he shook his head. "I'm very busy."
As Noah drove off, Asha knew why he didn't wasn't interested in her. She didn't want her because of her "promiscuous" ways. And knowing Noah, he probably thought that she had multiple sexually transmitted diseases. Asha looked away, then placed her strap to her purse over her shoulder and started walking to her car.
"Stacey was right......" Asha sighed as she got inside of her car and drove off.